Vault-protective device



March 24, 1931. J. c. MILLER, JR

VAULT PROTECTIVE DEVICE Fil Aug- 30. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 24, 1931. J. c. MILLER, JR

VAULT PRdTEcTIvE DEVICE s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 30. 1928 I/Illl m ImI March 24, 1931. (3, M JR 1,797,785

VAULT PROTECTIVE DEVICE Fil A g- 30, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 24 1%31 iii: a

FA? E JOHN C. MILLER, J'B., OF CHICAGO, ILLITLEOIfi,

ASSIGNOB, BY MES NE ASSIGNh EE NTS, T0,

THELAKE ERIE CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, CORPORATION OF OHIO VAULT PE-OTECTIVE DEVICE Application iled August 30, 1928. Serial No. 302,961.

and impractical to mount the gas bomb and its operating mechanism in an exposed position on the door due to the large number of people passing in and out and the consequently increased risk of the mechanism be ing tampered with. I have found it to be desirable to mount the gas bomb independently of the door, as in a screened recess 1n t 1e vault vestibule or the vault itself, and to provide means for connecting the operating mechanism on the door to the gas bombs wh n the door is closed.

it is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an actuating mechanism adapted to automatically transmit an actuating impulse from the door to the bomb when the latter is mounted independently of the door, and to so form the said mechanism that it will be automatically disconnected upon opening the door, thus avoiding any risk of an operationo'f the bomb during the normal use of the vault.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved and more sensitive bomb releasin mechanism that will reduce the lag and friction in said mechanism when an attempt is made to eifect an unauthorized or forcible entry thru the door.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated on the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a large vault door having the installation of this invention diagrammatically indicated in connection therewith.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic layout of the wiring'system acting to restrain the operation of the gas bombs.

Figure3 is an enlarged detail of the connection between the wiring system of Figure 2 and the bomb releasing lanyard.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of one gas bomb.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section of the plunger releasing mechanism of Figure 4 in released position.

Figure 6 is a detail section on the line VIVI of Figure 4.

igure 7 is a detail section on the line VII-VII of Figure 4-.

Figure 8 is a section of that part of the actuating mechanism incorporated in the door. Figure 9 is a fragmentarysection of the entire actuating mechanism.

Figure 10 is a plan view or" the bracket to be mounted in the vault vestibule.

Figure 11 is a face view of the bracket of Figure 10 with the cover removed.

As shown on the drawings:

The vault door construction chosen to illustrate the application of this invention is one such as is commonly used in modern bank vaults and comprises a vestibule 1O receiving a thick door 11 having stepped edges 12 with a series of locking bolts 13 mounted in a skeleton framework ll which is usually covered with a glass plate. Combination and time locks 15 are mounted on the inner face of the door in the center of the framework 14:.

A pair of gas bombs, indicated generally by the numeral 16, are mounted in any desired manner either within the vault proper or in the vestibule 10. Two bombs have been shown because the usual vaults of the type under consideration are of such a large volume that a single bomb might not have sutficient capacity to rapidly fill the vault with noxious gas.

The bomb proper, chosen for illustrating the installation of this invention, comprises a slotted shield 17 surrounding a sealed nox- V sist pinchi and ions gas container 18 having an apertured cover 19, the apertures in which are sealed end or stem 23 of the plunger26 is formed with a groove engageable balls 29 carried by an enveloping member 30 which slides in a tube like cap 31 small enough, except at the bottom, to hold the balls in the stem groove. l V hen the member 30 is released, it, together with the puinger 19, moves downwardly in the tube 25 until the balls reach the enlarged lower end thereof-when they are free'to disengage from the plunger 26 which then completes its travel to strike the firing pin as shown in Figure 5. The member 30 is normally held up'in the position shown in Fig ure 4 by a Bowden wire 32 within a flexible enveloping sheath 33. This sheath is prefer ably of a hardened character adapted to ren to break if crushed, in order to release the wire. This Bowden wire combination forms a flexible lanyard which permits a wide choice of independent loca tions for the bombs and the holding mecha' nism for the other or free end 34 of the Bowden wire H A safety locking pin 35 or shut off is mounted in clamp 36 secured to the guide tube 25 of the first bomb in such a position that when the pin 35 is screwed in, by means of the threaded enlargement 37 thereof and the knurled head 38, it acts to prevent full travel of the plunger 26. The pin 35 is provided with a frangiblesealed wire 39 to pre vent its unauthorized use, the rotation of the pin severing the sealing wire the lower portion of which then drops out, forming a vis ual indicator of the condition of the safety device. I s

As shown in Figure 4, the firing pin 23 is arranged with a traverse aperture 40 through which is passed the free end 34a of the Bowden wirefor the second bomb, the end of the wire being then fastened. in the pin guide 24.-

The pin 23 thus acts as a shear to sever release the Bowden wire for the second bomb when the first bomb is fired, thus placing the 1 s ni i n iivi SoCul'lCl com in series WlL/li t e 111st to double the gas discharging capacity fpr large vault The free end 34 of the BOWCLQll wire on the first bomb leads to a bracket 41 mounted the vestibule 10 in ali nment with the edge of the door when the latter is closed. The bracket 41 carries a boss 42 containing a guide 43 for the Bowden wire which-passes through a retaining washer 44 and is knotted or other-,

wise secured as shown in Figure 9, the guide 43 serving as an abutment for the end of the sheath 33 to maintain the same under compression. The guide 43 is formed as a cup like member to act as a shear in conpmction with the washer 44 when the latter is dis placedsideways. A sliding plunger 45 is so mounted in the boss 42 at right angles to the and is located in a recess in the boss, the

recess being normally covered by a frangible cover 48 retained in position by a frame 49. v

The hereinbefore described mechanisms comprise all that part of my invention that is not physically associated with the door. It will be evident from the preceding description that no parts directlyassociated with the releasing mechanism are inoperative p0 sitionrelative to the vault door after the latter has been opened, thus preventing acciden tal discharge of the bombs or tampering therewith duringthe normal day to day use of the vault.

An actuating mechanism adapted to bridge the gap between the door and the bracket 41 is shown in Figure 8 and is very similar in principle to the bomb firing mechanism.

[the framework 14 for the door locking bolts 13 is provided with aligned apertures, the aperture 50 in the inner frame 14a being provided to receive a tube like cap 51 duplicating the bomb cap 31. The internal mech-' anism is practically a duplicate of the bomb secured over the aperture 53 by a ring The firing plunger 26 and spring 27 are in this case mounted in a tube .56 secured to the cap 51 and having another tube 5'? engaged in telescopic relationship therewith to enclose the mechanism despite variations in "the di tancer between the frame. members14a and 146. A Bowden WVIZQ 58 and a hardened.

sheath 59 thereforlead toa holding mechanism shown in Figure 3 which may be placed in any convenient position on the door. The

free end 60 ofthe Bowden wire 58'issecured" to the shackle 61 of movable pulley'62 within a spacer member 63 against the top of 7 ins spacer which the sheath 59 abuts. member 1S made of'a hardened drill proof material in order to prevent clamping of the movable releasing mechanism therein." The member 63 carries a fixed pulley 64 near its lower end. The two pulleys just described are normally held in the. relative :position.

shown by a loop in a flexible wire 66 passing around the pulleys.

The wire 66 is trained or passed over a series of fixed pulleys 67 in such a manner as to pass back and forth over the surface of the door. Special loops 68 and bends 69 are formed in this wire over the more vulnerable lock portions of the door, it being understood that the wire 66 is entirely free to move over the pulleys, the ends of the wire being joined together to form an endless loop. By so forming the wire into an endless loop, should the wire be out under the worst possible conditions, only half the length of the wire would have to be moved relative to the pulley system in order to release the movable pulley 62 and thus operate the actuating mechanism.

In order to further increase the sensitiveness or responsiveness of the wiring system by reducing friction therein, a movable pulley 70 is engaged with the wire 66 and the shackle 71 of this pulley is connected by a wire 72 to the shackle of another movable pulley 7 3 which is similarly included in a second substantially endless wire 74 trained over fixed pulleys 75. With this system, severing any one of the wires 66, 72 or 74: results in a release of tension in all three wires with a consequent operation of the actuating mechanism. The multiple wiring system also has the advantage of preventing the system from being rendered inoperative by an attempt to clamp the wires during an attempt to cut a hole through the door. In order to adjust the initial tension of all three wires, a single turnbuckle 76 in any of them would be sui'iicient. As shown, this turnbuckle is used to join the ends of the wire 7 in lieu of otherwise securing these ends together.

The operation of the major units has been described in connection with the structures thereof so that a short resum of the coaction of the different parts will be given.

The wires 66, 72 and 74 are normally maintained under constant tension by the spring 27 in the relay mechanism which maintains the Bowden wire 58 under considerable load. Should any of these wires, including the Bowden wire, be cut or severed in any manner, the spring 2. acts to push down the firing plunger 26 in the relay mechanism, the plunger striking the pin 52 and driving it through the frangible diaphragms on the door frame 146 and bracket 41 and into contact with the plunger 45 which in turn strikes the washer a l which cuts the bomb releasing Bowden wire 32 releasing the firing plunger in the first bomb which in turn cuts the Bowden wire restraining the operation of the second bomb.

The above described sequence of events occurs in a fraction of a second so that the two bombs will start discharging gas almost simultaneously with a severance of the door wiring system at any point. With large vault doors of the type under consideration, the

only practical system of attack is by means of explosives or a cutting torch. Any torch powerful enough tocut through a footor more of steel willalso obviously sever or melt a small'and flexible wire of the type required.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a sensitiveyetsafe. noxious gas bomb installation for large vault doors that is automatically disconnected when the vault door is opened in the usual manner.

I am aware that numerous details of con- 7 struction may be varied through a wide ran e without departing from the principles of this invention and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

combination with a noxious gas bomb and means for bursting the same, an actuating mechanism divided between the door and its frame and adapted to bridge from the vault door to its frame when said door is closed,

means operatively connecting the door frame part of said actuating mechanism to said bomb bursting means, and means for normally restraining the operation of the door portion of said actuating mechanism comprising a pluralityof interengaging wires disposed over the vulnerable portions of the vault door.

3. A device of the class described comprising a noxious gas bomb and means for discharging said bomb, anactuating mechanism comprising a restraining mechanism for said means mounted in the door frame of a vault, means mounted on the vault door for releasing said restraining mechanism, and means for actuating the door portion of the actuating mechanism upon injury to the door.

4. A device of the class described comprising a noxious gas bomb and means for discharging said bomb, an actuating mechanism comprising a restraining mechanism for said means mounted in the door frame of a vault, means mounted on the vault door for releasing said restraining mechanism, and means for normally restraining the operation of the.

door portion of the actuating mechanism.

5. In combination, a vault gas bomb, an operating system therefor comprising a network of movable wires, the injury of which is adapted to operate said bomb, and a separable actuating mechanism Comprising Cooperating parts lnterposed between sald Wires and sa d V bomb, said aetuating mechanism parts being Illinois.

so mounted on the vault door and its frame that said parts are separated When the door is open.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name Chicago, Cook County,

JOHN G. MILLER, JR. 

